tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7139169.post6135602588040227850..comments2023-11-02T07:25:45.884-05:00Comments on Mormanity - a blog for those interested in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints: An Annoying but Beautiful Passage: Isaiah 55:8-9 ("My Ways Are Higher...") and Its Link to Continuing RevelationJeff Lindsayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08776493593387402607noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7139169.post-55891289799756519522016-04-05T17:06:09.815-05:002016-04-05T17:06:09.815-05:00Anonymous, do you mind if I address a couple of th...Anonymous, do you mind if I address a couple of things that you said must be accepted?<br /><br />1. "a total and complete apostasy occurred soon after the last apostle died." At several points, apostles replaced other fallen apostles. Their words and letters carried so much authority that all Christians consider them scripture. Yet the Bible ends, so there must be something to this. Many of the NT apostles foretold this happening. But "total and complete" may be a bit extreme--obviously Christianity survived, expanded, and eventually flourished to the extent that we have benefited and continue to benefit from it. Apostasy and Restoration deals mainly with priesthood authority and revelation.<br /><br />2. "from that time there was not a single righteous man on earth until Smith's arrival." This has never been the claim of the Church nor was it a teaching of Joseph Smith. There are many righteous people even in the midst of an apostasy, and God will bless and reward them based on their light and knowledge.<br /><br />3. "all ancient NT writings are corrupt." Again, not a claim made in the Church or by Joseph Smith. We use the King James New Testament as the source for our understanding of Christ's ministry in Jerusalem. But cursory Bible scholarship would be enough to dispel any notion of bible inerrancy, to which we don't subscribe.<br /><br />4."the gospel of the Bible is corrupt with Smith as the only authorized restorer" Everyone seems to have their own version of the Bible's teachings; such as the characteristics of God, the purpose of our creation, and how to obtain salvation. It makes sense to me that God wouldn't be behind all of these different doctrines, but that He would use the traditional model of using an authorized prophet to clarify.<br /><br />5. "LDS rituals and ordinances found nowhere in the old or new testament are now introduced as essential to salvation." Covenants have always existed in one form or another, and our rituals and ordinances are simply the delivery systems for these covenants (which delivery methods are fluid). If your belief system does not include covenant-making as performed by one with authority, similar to what we saw in the Old Testament as well as the New Testament, then that belief system is different than the ones practiced anciently.Piercenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7139169.post-58938422784208508872016-03-26T02:41:03.406-05:002016-03-26T02:41:03.406-05:00"Have you given it a chance?" Yes, unfor..."Have you given it a chance?" Yes, unfortunately there are too many questions that well meaning Mormons have asked me to "quit asking".<br /><br />"How would you answer your question concerning the new scripture in the New Testament, if you originally only has the Old Testament?" I believe the miracles and wonders Jesus performed during His earthy ministry give credence to the NT as the Word of God. The NT scriptures were written too close to the events of Christ to be deemed as myth (such as exists in with Mohamed). The historical and archaeological evidence of the NT testifies that these were actual places and people (which unfortunately does not exist in the BOM). The prophetic passages of the OT pointing to Christ as the Messiah testifies to the authority of the NT. The thousands upon thousands of ancient NT documents corroborate a unified message of Christ being who he said he was. <br /><br />To believe Joseph Smith was a true prophet, one must accept (at a minimum) the revelation of ONE man of questionable character(Smith) that: 1. a total and complete apostasy occurred soon after the last apostle died, 2. from that time there was not a single righteous man on earth until Smith's arrival, 3.all ancient NT writings are corrupt, 4.the gospel of the Bible is corrupt with Smith as the only authorized restorer, 5. LDS rituals and ordinances found nowhere in the old or new testament are now introduced as essential to salvation. <br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7139169.post-4544181091442595372016-03-26T00:07:21.578-05:002016-03-26T00:07:21.578-05:00The Book of Mormon provides valuable evidence that...The Book of Mormon provides valuable evidence that Joseph was a real prophet, along with the witnesses. Have you given it a chance?<br /><br />How would you answer your question concerning the new scripture in the New Testament, if you originally only has the Old Testament? Jeff Lindsayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08776493593387402607noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7139169.post-16296381725847609662016-03-24T02:39:26.868-05:002016-03-24T02:39:26.868-05:00So exactly which revelation are we to treasure and...So exactly which revelation are we to treasure and which are we to despise? We obviously can't treasure all revelation can we? What about Muhammad's? The Pope's? Mary Baker Eddy? Jim Jones? Every one of them had a revelation. Why should I treasure the revelation of Joseph Smith and not Muhammad? Or The Buddha? They've all made claims of being spoken from the mouth of God. How am I supposed to decipher one revelation from another? <br /><br />You said the answer is to not "quit asking" and you're absolutely right. So I will continue asking, why should I trust Muhammad, the Pope, Joseph Smith or anyone with a new revelation? Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com